Louisiana

Louisiana high school teacher framed by female students for ‘inappropriate messages’ they actually sent: police

Published

1 year ago

January 8, 2025

Louisiana high school teacher framed by female students for ‘inappropriate messages’ they actually sent: police

Two Louisiana high school students have been charged with fabricating “inappropriate messages” they claimed were sent to them by a teacher to frame him as a sexual predator.

The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office said they launched an investigation on Dec. 18 after two female students at Central Lafourche High School in Mathews — about 45 miles southwest of New Orleans –claimed an unidentified male teacher had sent them X-rated messages.

However, a two-week-long investigation soon revealed that the 15 and 16-year-old students had fabricated the conversations on an online instant messaging platform.

Detectives obtained a search warrant for the girls’ electronic devices and shockingly found that the teacher had not sent any messages to them and that they had created an online profile for him to make it appear that he was having risqué conversations with them.

The students would share screenshots of the phony conversations and share them with friends to make their con seem legitimate, the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office said.

Investigators then determined the teacher was not the predator, as the girls claimed, but was the victim of a serious accusation.

When confronted by the findings, one of the students allegedly admitted to having been involved in framing the educator, police said.

“Our juvenile detectives are diligent and take claims of inappropriate behavior very seriously. They are, however, equally serious about false claims,” Sheriff Craig Webre said.

“Someone’s life can be instantly ruined by a false allegation and I am proud that our investigators were able to get to the bottom of this.”

The girls, who have not been named due to their age, were charged with one count each of false swearing for the purpose of violating public health or safety, cyberstalking, and online impersonation on Monday, according to police.

“Technology has made it very easy for people to try to manipulate the truth, but technology also makes it easy for investigators to ultimately find the truth,” Webre said.

The superintendent of Lafourche Parish School District, Jarod Martin, said he was “shocked and appalled” after hearing one of his teachers was framed and nearly lost his livelihood over the serious, yet fake, allegations.

The superintendent condemned the attack on the teacher and criticized the students’ alleged blatant attempt to ruin his “credibility and reputation.”

“We are committed to investigating all allegations of misconduct in order to provide a safe environment conducive to learning and working for all of our students and staff.”

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Louisiana

AI regulation clashing with business lobby in Louisiana

Published

5 hours ago

March 30, 2026

Press Room

AI regulation clashing with business lobby in Louisiana

Nolan Mckendry
| The Center Square

(The Center Square) − Louisiana lawmakers have filed more than 20 bills this session touching on artificial intelligence, but only a narrow slice of them has moved so far.

The clearest momentum has come on bills dealing with child exploitation. Senate Bill 42 by Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge, which prohibits using artificial intelligence to create child sexual abuse materials, passed the Senate 36-0 and was sent to the House the next day.

Senate Bill 110 by Sen. Heather Cloud, R-Turkey Creek, bars using a child’s image to train an artificial intelligence model to produce child sexual abuse materials, also advanced out of the Senate and is now pending in the House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee. But the broader regulatory push has moved far more slowly.

Rep. Josh Carlson, R-Lafayette, told The Center Square the efforts have run into familiar resistance from business groups wary of state-by-state regulation.

“Anything that effects business they say is bad for business,” Carlson told The Center Square.

Carlson has a bill that would create a Louisiana AI Bill of Rights, restrict certain chatbot uses involving minors, create disclosure rules for bots and AI-generated advertising, and bar the state from contracting for AI products tied to foreign countries of concern. Carlson is still working to get his bill added to the Commerce committee’s agenda.Another bill that has managed to make progress is HB190 by Rep. Laurie Schlege, R-Metarie. It passed the House 98-0. Two days after, an op-ed submitted to The Center Square from Citizens for a New Louisiana charged the law as “one that threatens to stifle innovation, burden small businesses and startups.” The op-ed suggested amending the bill, but Schlegel hasn’t budged so far.

Senate Bill 246 by Sen. Jay Luneau, D-Alexandria, was scheduled for Senate floor debate Monday but was postponed twice, first to Tuesday and then to Wednesday. The delay followed Luneau’s promise to the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry that he would amend the bill after the group sent a memo warning it could create “unnecessary compliance burdens for businesses operating across the state.”

“AI systems are inherently interstate and global, making them better suited for a consistent federal framework rather than fragemented state oversight,” the memo continued. “SB246 risks placing Louisiana at a competitive disadvantage while duplicating efforts more appropriately handled by Congress.” The memo mentioned a December executive order from the Trump administration which instructed federal officials to identify “onerous” state AI laws and said states with such laws could be barred from receiving certain remaining BEAD broadband funds, to the maximum extent allowed by federal law.

Louisiana has $800 million in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program funding that could be revoked. Responding to questions about concerns that his bill might violate that order, Edmonds told The Center Square, “I don’t see this as over regulation.” He said that, so far, he has heard no concerns with his bill.

Edmonds acknowledged concerns that overregulation could inhibit the use and development of AI, but said that his bill was specific and would not.

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Louisiana

Venture Global CP2 construction site in Cameron cleared after no threat found

Published

17 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Venture Global CP2 construction site in Cameron cleared after no threat found

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) – The Venture Global CP2 construction site in Cameron has been cleared after a bomb threat was made Sunday, according to a spokesperson from Venture Global.

The bomb threat came in around noon on Sunday, according to officials. Louisiana State Police hazmat and bomb squads were called to investigate.

No shelter in place was deemed necessary and no roads were closed, according to the Cameron Parish Sheriff’s Office.

A Venture Global spokesperson released the following statement:

“Venture Global was made aware of a bomb threat at our CP2 site and immediately activated our established emergency response protocols. We are coordinating closely with state and local authorities as they investigate. The safety and security of our employees and the surrounding community remain our highest priority.”

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Louisiana

Louisiana Children’s Museum hosts fifth annual Mud Fest

Published

2 days ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Louisiana Children’s Museum hosts fifth annual Mud Fest

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — For the fifth consecutive year, the Louisiana Children’s Museum hosted its annual environmental festival, Mud Fest, on Saturday, March 28.

From 10 a.m.-4 p.m., parents and their little ones had the opportunity to have fun in the sun and enjoy the “highlight” of the museum’s spring season.

This event was inspired by the iconic New Orleans festival culture which includes good food, live music and a nice, high-energy atmosphere. Mud Fest is tailored for the “youngest environmental stewards” to have fun and make all the mess they want with mud.

Due to the Crescent City being surrounded by wetland habitats, we interact with water daily in both our rural and urban communities.

The festival generates positive associations with our region and also builds critical thinking skills for future educators, engineers, fishermen and farmers. According to LCM, engaging with nature, water and plants “builds a child’s confidence and fosters a lifelong connection to the Earth.”

“As the Louisiana Children’s Museum celebrates its 40th anniversary, events like Mud Fest reflect our long-standing commitment to hands-on learning that sparks curiosity and connects children to the world around them,” LCM CEO Tifferney White said.

This year, Mud Fest had performances from young musicians of the School of Rock, the Louisiana Sunspots and more. There were also a storytelling stage and various family-friendly activities for visitors to engage in.

Mud Fest partnered with Pontchartrain Conservancy, STEM NOL, Whimscapes and Sugar Roots to put on the event.

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